Dalton GA Motor Vehicle Accidents Law Blog

Domestic violence is one of the worst traumas a family can experience. For the person being violent, there is stress and anxiety along with actions that can't be taken back. For victims, the reality is often that without help, they could end up badly or unable to extricate themselves from difficult situations.

Those living in fear of domestic violence may have to choose whether to turn in a loved one or continue being victimized. Abuse isn't always clear-cut, and it can be difficult to know whether an incident is bad enough to report. Here are a few things you should know about domestic violence that could help you decide how to proceed.

Over the past few years, shippers who haul food and agricultural products via tractor-trailers have requested changes in the weight limits that they are permitted to haul across the country. Thus far, the majority of states -- including Georgia -- cap cargo capacity at 81,000 pounds. If these limits are increased, it is feared that it may also increase the chances of a truck accident.

A coalition comprised of agricultural shippers and suppliers recently requested that the Department of Transportation study the impact of higher load capacities on the nation's highways. A panel that is comprised of representatives from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine has recommended that approximately 45 areas be investigated before the panel could support a request for changing weight limits. The coalition of shippers has expressed a desire for a pilot program to run over 15 years to gauge the cost-saving benefits of higher weight limits.

It is the law in the vast majority of states, including Georgia, to move over one lane of traffic along highways whenever there is an emergency or utility vehicle with activated lights parked along the shoulder of the road. If traffic makes moving over impossible, then motorists are required to reduce their speed in order to ensure the safety of others. Unfortunately, some drivers have not heeded the law, and, as a result, people have died as a result of a fatal accident.

The most recent victim of one of these types of collisions was a Georgia police officer. According to the Savannah police department, the officer was on the scene of an earlier head-on crash. He was assigned to the task of helping to divert traffic away from the crash scene and was in his duty car with his emergency lights activated. Sadly, a tractor-trailer driver purportedly either did not notice the cruiser or did not take evasive actions and subsequently crashed into the cruiser.

According to statistics from 2012, the overall cost of property damages related to car accidents is estimated to be approximately $277 billion every year. That does not include the often horrific injuries caused by car crashes, including possibly severe spinal cord injuries. There are countless Georgia travelers who have suffered severe physical harm that resulted from the actions of another motorist.

There is a long list of possible injuries that can be caused by a car crash. Two of the most serious are those involving the head or spine. A head injury occurs when the victim's head strikes a stationary object such as the window, dash or steering wheel, and range from a mild concussion to a serious traumatic head injury that can cause permanent impairment. A spine injury can encompass a whiplash trauma to broken vertebra. The effects could be short-term numbness or nerve tingling up to possible paralysis, depending on the location and severity of the damage.